-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Chaos and a lack of communication are common threads among American survivors ' stories of the Costa Concordia sinking , and making it to shore was only the beginning of a long ordeal for passengers trying to get home .

Melissa Goduti of Wallingford , Connecticut , boarded the ship about three hours before it ran aground Friday night , killing at least 11 passengers .

`` All of a sudden , the boat leaned over like on a 70-degree angle , and everything just started falling -- dishes were falling , trash cans were falling , everything was falling , '' Goduti told CNN affiliate CTNow . `` Then the lights went out and everything was blacked , out and then the lights came back on . ''

Lynn Kaelin of Puyallup , Washington , told CNN affiliate KCPQ that it was `` like having the Titanic without the water gushing through . ''

`` I called my husband , not knowing if I 'd see him again , '' she said . `` I thought we were going to die . ''

There were no announcements for a long time , and Goduti and her mother did n't see signs directing them toward lifeboats .

`` We were running around trying to ask what floor the lifeboats were on , and all the crew kept saying is , ` you do n't need them , you 're fine , everything is fine , we just got hit by a big wave , ' '' Goduti told CTNow .

`` All they kept saying was it 's a generator issue , just a generator issue and that the boat was floating along and just needed to get stabilized , '' she said .

Nancy Lofaro of New Rochelle , New York , said the crew tried to do what they could , `` but when we asked them , they said they had no information . They just did n't have any information to give us . '' Lofaro estimates the first announcement came 30 to 40 minutes after the ship ran aground .

Goduti and her mother feel lucky they found a lifeboat .

`` When our lifeboat dropped , it dropped . It was n't an easy letdown by any means , but at least we got into the water and were safe , which is a lot better than , unfortunately , some people , '' she said .

Costa staff in Lofaro 's lifeboat were debating who would drive the boat , and they did n't seem to know what to do , she said .

Joan Fleser of Duanesburg , New York , seconds that opinion , calling the crew `` inexperienced and untrained . ''

In a letter to passengers , Costa Cruises CEO Pier Luigi Foschi disputes that assessment : `` The crew of the Costa Concordia acted bravely and swiftly in an extremely difficult situation and succeeded -- despite the terribly demanding conditions -- in evacuating more than 4,000 people in the shortest possible time : we are proud of our commitment and dedication to your safety . ''

He goes on to outline crew training , safety procedures and regulatory oversight .

Survivors of the disaster say the scene on land was equally chaotic . Fleser said the lifeboat ride to the Tuscan island of Giglio was the last she saw of Costa Cruises employees until she , her husband and daughter reached a hotel in Rome on Saturday .

The people of the island came out in force to help the stranded travelers , and a local priest opened up the church . Fleser and her family stayed at the home of a local family overnight .

`` The people of the island were wonderful , '' Fleser said .

Nancy Lofaro and her husband wandered around on shore , finding a church , a local cafe and a small hotel all packed .

`` There was no organization . There was nobody , and the staff was in shock as much as we were . There were no announcements . We saw Costa people ... walking around with a bullhorn , not using it , '' Lofaro said .

Fleser and her family were herded onto a ferry to the mainland the morning after the wreck , `` but we had no idea where we were going . ''

Triage doctors , members of the coast guard , the Red Cross and other volunteer organizations met the cruise passengers and took them to a local school , where more local services were provided . Her daughter received a pair of sneakers there because she was still wearing high heels from the night before , Fleser said .

The family then boarded a bus to Rome , where they were dropped off at a hotel .

`` The Marriott had no idea we were coming . All these refugee boat people land on their front door , and they say , ` Who are you ? But we 'll take care of you , ' '' Fleser said .

There were two Costa cruise representatives at the hotel , `` but every time we asked them if they could do something for us , they said they had no authority , '' she said .

The cruise line did pay for food , the hotel and their airfare home , Fleser said , although they booked them on a flight to Albany , Georgia , instead of Albany , New York -- a mistake the family discovered in the Atlanta airport .

`` Oh my god , we were just ready to lose it at that point . ''

More than 1,100 Costa employees have been working to assist passengers and crew since Friday night , Foschi said in his letter to passengers .

The CEO of Costa 's parent company , Carnival Corp. , pledged support to passengers : `` I give my personal assurance that we will take care of each and every one of our guests , crew and their families affected by this tragic event , '' Micky Arison said in a statement .

Before Fleser and her family could make the journey home , they needed new passports to replace those lost on the sinking ship .

The U.S. Embassy 's response was a big disappointment , Fleser said .

`` Other than getting our temporary passports , they gave us no assistance whatsoever . No food , no clothes , no money , no transportation . They told us to borrow some money , get a cab , come on down . '' A hotel shuttle took Fleser and other Americans to the embassy , she said .

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the agency arranged with the cruise line to have American passengers transported to a Rome hotel and to the embassy for documents . More than 100 emergency passports have been issued to stranded travelers .

`` We also provided all kinds of advice , telephone contacts to families , helped families create travel funds , provided them with passport photos , warm clothes , there were even a couple of families that needed diapers , '' she said during a State Department briefing Wednesday .

Fleser and her family arrived home shortly after midnight Tuesday . They received a voicemail from Costa saying the family would be reimbursed for the cruise and articles lost on the ship , she said , but the message did n't offer details of how those amounts would be determined .

In addition to arranging lodging , transportation and counseling for passengers , Costa will address possessions lost on board and is in the process of refunding cruise fares and costs incurred while on board , the company said in a statement .

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U.S. passengers tell stories of `` inexperienced , untrained '' crew

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Costa CEO : `` Crew of the Costa Concordia acted bravely and swiftly ''

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New York woman disappointed in U.S. Embassy response

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Passengers to receive refunds , reimbursement for lost possessions